Legendary actor Sylvester Stallone is still known for his action-hero persona of the ‘80s and ‘90s despite not being on the top now. He has a lasting legacy that is cemented by films such as the Rocky franchise, the Rambo franchise, and the Expendables series, which have made him the bonafide action star of the past few decades.
Stallone was at his peak of stardom in the ‘80s when he was competing with fellow action star Arnold Schwarzenegger. However, his brand of films captured the energy of the crowd along with the dream-like blockbusters made by the likes of Steven Spielberg and George Lucas. Hence, directors like Martin Scorsese rarely had a spot in the top brass in Hollywood.
Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky Was The Best Man In The Ring
The story behind Sylvester Stallone’s struggle to get Rocky made is legendary. Written by him in a few days after being inspired by a Muhammed Ali match. He shopped around the script to many studios as he also wanted to star in the sports drama. The film was finally picked up by United Artists who only budgeted it at $860,000.
The film was a global phenomenon upon release, earning over $225 million at the box office and becoming the highest-grossing film of 1976. United Artists had actually gambled with Rocky and were hoping to recover their losses with Martin Scorsese’s New York New York. However, it worked in the opposite direction as Scorsese’s musical was a flop.
Martin Scorsese would go on to talk about his struggle to keep up with the frenzy created by the likes of Stallone’s Rocky in an interview with The Rolling Stones magazine,
“I was making a certain kind of film. Films at that time… don’t forget, it was the beginning of the Reagan era. Sylvester Stallone had created his own new mythology and people were more into that. I mean, after the experience of ‘New York, New York’ (1977), I realized the kind of pictures I was going to make, even if I was dealing with the genre”
Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky would go on to spawn multiple sequels and a spin-off, the latest of which Creed III was released earlier this year.
Martin Scorsese’s Career Was Almost Ruined By Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky
As mentioned, Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky was produced at the same time as Martin Scorsese’s big-budget musical film New York New York, which starred Robert De Niro and Liza Minelli. The film was on the heels of Scorsese’s hit neo-noir thriller Taxi Driver and was budgeted at $14 million, the largest for Scorsese at the time.
Martin Scorsese reportedly wanted to break away from his image as a gritty and realistic director and hence decided to make a musical. But the production of the film was incredibly troubled, owing to improvised dialogues, scene changes, and Scorsese’s rampant use of cocaine. He also reportedly had an affair with lead actress Liza Minelli.
The film was a huge flop upon release, earning only $16.4 million and its failure apparently drove Scorsese to more drugs due to depression. He only got back to his full energy when he decided to make the boxing film Raging Bull, which although was not a huge success, it as received well critically.
Scorsese mentioned that he almost gave up on his career as it was the time when Sylvester Stallone’s brand of films ruled the screen and directors like Spielberg and George Lucas were winning with their escapist films. He said,
“So at that time I knew which way the wind was blowing and I knew it certainly wasn’t in my direction. Therefore I just did the best I could with ‘Raging Bull’, because I had nothing and everything to lose. I knew that I’d probably get movies to make in Europe or something. But I’m an American.”
However, Martin Scorsese kept his chin up and continued to make film his way and is now considered to be one of the most legendary filmmakers.